2004 Tommaso Bussola - L'Errante TB

The 2004 L’Errante is a Merlot/Cabernet blend made with partially dried fruit that spent 40 months in new French oak. The wine opens with an enticing bouquet of roasted coffee beans, herbs, sweet licorice and plums, all of which are woven together in a mid-weight, perfumed frame. This subtle offering reveals terrific overall balance and tons of harmony. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019. My visit with Tommaso Bussola earlier this year was thrilling, as we tasted through a number of wines from cask and bottle, culminating with extraordinary bottles of the 1999 and 2000 Amarone Vigneto Alto, both of which were drop-dead gorgeous. Importer: The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484

The 2004 L'Errante TB reveals compelling harmony as sweet, elegant aromas emerge from its structured frame. Notes of espresso, grilled herbs, dark fruit and sweet toasted oak round out this gorgeous wine. Although the tannins are quite firm, the 2004 L'Errante shows tons of elegance in a vibrant style that will require at least one or two years of bottle age, possibly more. This is a terrific effort from Tommaso Bussola. L'Errante is a Merlot/Cabernet blend made with partially dried fruit that spent 40 months in new French oak. Bussola told me he is working on an Amarone-style version of this wine inspired by Giuseppe Quintarelli's Alzero. I am sure I am not the only person who can't wait to sample this new bottling.